Curved ball projecting device



March 21, 1961 J K. POPE CURVED BALL PROJECTING DEVfCE Filed April 20, 1959 INVENTOR.

United States 2,975,779 CURVED BALL PROJECTING nnvrcn James K. Pope, Box 103, Northville, Mich. Filed Apr. 20, 1959, Ser. No. 807,561 1 19 Claims. 01. 124-11 as toys, gun-like devices for projecting spheres, usually in the general form of a light weight plastic table tennis ball, in simulation of the trajectory of a gun missile. My prior patents, 2,505,428 of April 25, 1950, and 2,601,555 of June 24, 1952, typify such devices.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for the rapid projection of a light weightsphere of the sort referred to above, but in a trajectory which may be curved in the horizontal or'lateral sense; thereby simulating with remarkable accuracy the flight of a curved baseball thrown by a pitcher. i

Characteristic of the devices heretofore proposed for the purpose of simulating a missile trajectory, the present device employs pneumatic pressure to propel light weight balls of the table tennis type through a ring of resilient materialadjacent the mouth of a cylinder in which one or more of the balls are received, and to which the pneuatent matic pressure is applied, and it is a further object of the invention to accomplish a simulation of a pitched curved ball by means of one of several different types of special modification of the resilient ring in question.

Another object is to provide a sphere or like projectile pitching or ejecting device as described, in which the resilient ring is of atype having segments of its inner periphery, frictionally engaged by the ball in its ejection, which are of a character to occasion different degrees of frictional slip on different surfaces of the ball in being thus ejected, as under pneumatic pressure. Thus on issuance of the ball through the ring it Will spin and curve away from the segment of its surface which hasbeen subjected to the greater degree of slip.

A still further object is to provide a device as described, in which the variation of the ring as to frictional action on the surface of theprojected sphere may be produced in a number of different ways. As examples herein shown and hereinafter described, one segment of the innersurface of the resilient ring frictionally engaged by the sphere may be treated to alter its inherent coeflicient of friction in relation to that of another segment or sector of the engaged surface, as by roughening it, by

embedding in it or surfacing it with a mildly abrasive substance, by coating it with a material of different frictional coefiicient than the other surface, etc.; or by varying the cross sectional outline of the resilient ring, as by forming it in a tapered, longitudinal axial section so that a sector or segment on one diametral side will be of different thickness than another sector and thereby,

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2 put into effect the principle of the invention of curving mechanically by differential slip.

Another object is to provide a curved ball projecting device of this sort, in which means are provided to adjust the axis of the ring, as by axially rotating the cylinder from which spheres are fed through the ring, as well as to adjust the ring in both the horizontal or azimuthal and the vertical or elevational senses, thereby enabling any desired adjustment of the path of trajectory, but still with a non-gravitationally induced curve.

Yet another object is to provide a device whether equipped with means to adjust its trajectory horizontally and/ or vertically or not, which has provision for the adjustment of the cylinder thereof about its own axis, thereby enabling the sphere to be curved in either horizontal direction, or to be curved in any desired degree of upward trajectory, whether combined with a horizontal component or not.

The foregoing as well as other objects will become more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view generally illustratingthe mode of use of the improved device;

Figs. 2 and 3 are, respectively, views in side and front elevation of the device, the latter figure indicating the mode of adjusting the cylinder of the latter about its own axis;

Fig. 4 is a view in horizontal section through said Fig. 7 is a similar elevational view of the treated ring in accordance with another embodiment;

Fig. 8 is a view in transverse section along line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a rear elevational view, as from the interior of its pneumatic pressure chamber, of a ring equipped with a special flexible element to produce friction difierential; and

Fig. 10 is a view in section on line 10-10 of Fig. 9.

Considering Fig. 1 in conjunction with Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the device comprises .a suitable base 10, supporting on a horizontally and vertically adjustable standard 11 a ball-containing pneumatic pressure cylinder 12. An elongated flexible pressure hose or tube 13 extends from the cylinder 12 to a bulb 14, and the user or player may apply foot pressure when desired to the bulb 14 to cause ejection of, a ball from the cylinder 12 in a manner to be described.

As shown in Fig. 2, the bulb 14 and hose 13 are preferably internally equipped with one-way air discharge and intake valves, generally designated .15 and 16, respectively, functioning to permit discharge of air under pressure to hose 13 each time the bulb is compressed, and to admit atmospheric air to the bulb 14 each time the bulb is released.

The cylinder 12 is of any desired, relatively inexpensive construction, including an elongated cylindrical metal or plastic wall 18, of a length adequate to axially accommodate the desired number of balls 19, in this case shown as three for a device primarily intended to simulate baseball pitching. v

The adjacent end of hose 13 is fitted in fluid tight relation in a central aperture of a rear wall disk 20, which disk is fitted into the rear end of cylinder wall 18 in a fluid tight relation to the latter. A coil compression spring 21 abuts rearwardly against the disk and fun wardly engages the rearmost ball 1h, so as to hold and urge the series of balls forwardly at all times against the forward ring structure, generally designated 22, of the device. It is to be understood that the spring 21 is of sufiicient length that when only one ball 19 remains in the chamber of cylinder 12, the spring will still engage that ball and hold it in contact with the resilient ring 23 of the ring structure 22, thus maintaining a pneumatic seal of the ball in question at the inner peripheral edge of the ring.

As indicated above, the resilient ring 23 may be variously produced or treated to impart a variable slip curve to the foremost ball 19 as it is ejected through the ring under force of pneumatic pressure applied to the internal chamber of cylinder 12, in the fashion described above.

Thus, Fig. 6 illustrates one embodiment of a ring 23 which may be of relatively uniform axial cross section, or possibly slightly tapered uniformly as shown in Fig. 4, but having a segment or sector 24 of its inner, ball-engaged surface treated to give it a different coeflicient of friction, greater or lesser, than another segment or sector 25 of the same surface.

As shown in Fig. 6, the segments 24, 25 are of equal 180 arcuate extent; however, variation in this particular is contemplated, so that the segment may be of greater or lesser degree of arc than the segment 25. Stippling is employed in Fig. 6 to indicate in a general way the treatment of the segment or sector 24 to alter its frictional coefficicnt relative to that of segment 25, by increase or by decrease.

If an increase, the surface of segment 24 may be roughened, it may have a fine granular abrasive or like material applied thereto, its material may have such type of friction-increasing material embedded therein, it may be coated with a relatively tacky coating of paint, film or the like, etc. The common effect of any of these procedures is, with the respective segments or sectors 24, 25 disposed on opposite horizontal sides of the ring structure 22, as shown in Fig. 4, to cause the foremost ball to be ejected with a horizontal spin in the direction toward the treated side and area from the untreated segment or sector 25. Any desired degree of vertical component may be imparted to the curve by the provisions to be described.

If it is desired to employ a treatment which will diminish the coeflicient of the treated sector or segment 24 relative to the other, this may be done by coating the latter with a compound having the desired effect of creating slip. As a further alternative by way of obtaining the desired slip at the ring 23, different arcuate zones or sectors thereof may be fabricated of different hardness; or it may be found desirable to mold into one of them a flexible reinforcing element tending to increase the resistance to flexure of that portion.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the ring 23 may be embedded around its external periphery in an integral annular lip 26 of an enlarged annular forward flange 27 of the cylinder wall 18; and the flanged clamp ring 28 may be applied to the flange 27 forwardly of the ring 23, with a radially inwardly extending flange portion backing the ring to control the desired overall flexibility of the latter. Of course, other ring mounting provisions may be resorted to, and the invention is not particularly concerned with structural arrangement for this purpose.

Figs. 7 and 8 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the invention, in which the resilient ring, here specially designated 23, is formed to provide the desired curving action in a mildly tapered axial cross section. Thus the thicker portion 30 on one diametral sector or segment of the ring will exert substantially greater frictional resistance to ejection of the ball than a sector or segment 31 of thinner section 'on the opposite diametral side of the ring. Other modifications proceeding along this principle of application of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, in order to enable the trajectory of a ball 19, as conditioned by the provisions hereinbefore described, to be further altered in the axial, vertical and/ or horizontal senses, the standard 11 comprises an upper strap member 33 formed of flexible metal to provide a top cylindrical bight 34 in which the wall 18 of the pneumatic cylinder 12 is frictionally received. Thus, upon rotation of the cylinder 12 in the bight about its own axis, the curve of the trajectory may be changed from the right to the left and vice versa; or it may he set at any intermediate position between these extremes if it is desired to impart an upshoot or drop component to the curve.

The adjacent legs 35 of the strap 33 which depend from the friction bight 34 have their lower ends fitted by means of a friction joint 36 within the upwardly projecting arms 37 of a bottom strap support 38. The latter has a generally triangular spread loop which is engaged at its bottom with the upper surface of the base 10 through the agency of a frictional slip joint 39. This enables the standard 11 to be rotated horizontally as a whole on the base 10, if it is desired to further compound the curvature of the trajectory, as in pitching toward a fixed home plate. Of course, a vertical adjustment of the trajectory is had by swinging in a vertical plane about friction joint 36.

In order to facilitate use the cylinder wall 18 may be provided (Fig. 2) with an indicator 40 registrable with either of a pair of marks 41 on opposite sides of the friction bight 34 enabling the cylinder 12 to be adjusted for curving in either horizontal sense.

The adaptations of the principle of the invention as shown in Figs. 4-8 deal with the treatment of the fric tion ring by abrading, coating, shaping, or otherwise modifying it. Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate another modification in which the ring 42, of essentially uniform cross section and not specially treated as described above, has a slip varying element 43 applied adhesively or otherwise to its rear, chamber-side surface. The element 43 may be a piece of cloth or other flexible material and it is positioned to extend partially across the opening 44 of ring 42. It will be understood that as mounted in a ring structure 22 on a cylinder 12, the flexible element 43 will normally be at one side or another of the axis, and that as the ball 19 is ejected it wedges element 43 outwardly and against the ring, as indicated in dotted line in Fig. 10, considerably increasing the friction and imparting the desired curve as a result. Other equivalent expedients will suggest themselves.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a device for projecting a ball or other missilelike object in a non-gravitationally curved trajectory, characterized by a resilient ring against a surface of which the object is axially engaged and restrained, and means to apply force to said object to propel the object through said ring against said restraint; the improvement in accordance with which said ring has a portion thereof rendered less obstructive to propulsion of the object through the ring than another portion thereof, thereby occasioning said trajectory upon issuance of the object through the ring.

2. The improvement in accordance with claim 1 in which said object engaging and restraining surface of said ring has means to impart a different coefficient of friction at one portion thereof than at another.

3. The improvement in accordance with claim 1, in which said object engaging and restraining surface of said ring is coated to impart a different coefficient of friction at one portion thereof than at another.

4. The improvement in accordance with claim 1, in which said object engaging and restraining surface of said ring is roughened in part to impart a different coefiicient of friction at one portion thereof than at another.

5. The improvement in accordance with claim 1, in which said ring is of non-uniformaxial, thickness to impart a greater restraint to said object at one portion of the ring than at another.

6. The improvement in accordance with claim 1 in which said ring is of non-uniform axial thickness to impart a greater restraint to said object at one portion of the ring than at another, said ring being diametrically tapered in cross section to provide said non-uniform thickness.

7. A device for projecting a ball or other missile-like object in a non-gravitationally curved trajectory, comprising means providing a chamber receiving at least one of said objects and having a resilient ring mounted coaxially adjacent and partially obstructing an open mouth thereof, against a surface of which ring the object is axially engaged and restrained, and means to apply force to said object to propel the object through said ring against said restraint; said ring having a portion thereof rendered less obstructive to propulsion of the object through the ring than another portion thereof, thereby occasioning said trajectory upon issuance of the object through the ring.

8. A device in accordance with claim 7, in which said object engaging and restraining surface of said ring has one arcuate portion thereof which is of a different frictional coeflicient than another portion.

9. A device in accordancewith claim 7, in which said object engaging and restraining surface of said ring has one arcuate portion thereof treated to impart to it a different frictional coefficient than another portion.

10. A device in accordance with claim 7, in which said object engaging and restraining surface of said ring has one arcuate portion thereof coated to impart to it a different frictional coefficient than another portion.

11. A device in accordance with claim 7, in which said ring is of different degree of axial flexibility at different arcuate zones thereof to impart greaterobject restraint thereto at one zone than at another.

12. A device in accordance with claim 7, in which said ring is of different degree of axial flexibility at different arcuate zones thereof to impart greater object restraint thereto at one zone than at another, being tapered normal to its axis to provide portions of different axial thickness and object restraining ability.

13. A device for projecting a ball or'other missile-like object in a non-gravitationally curved trajectory, comprising means providing a chamber receiving at least one of said objects and having a resilient ring mounted coaxially adjacent and partially obstructing an open mouth thereof, against a surface of which ring the object is axially engaged and restrained, and means to apply pneumatic pressure to said chamber to propel the object through said ring against said restraint; said ring having a portion thereof rendered less obstructive to propulsion of the object through the ring than another portion thereof, thereby occasioning said trajectory upon issuance of the object through the ring, said pressure applying means comprising a pneumatic pressure tube communicating at one end with said chamber, and a collapsible pressure bulb having a one-way valve connection to the opposite end of said tube.

14. A device for projecting a ball or like object, comprising means including an axial member providing an open-ended chamber to receive at least one of said objects, a ring structure partially obstructing the open end of the chamber, against which structure an object engages and is axially restrained, and means to force said object through said ring structure against said restraint, and a support for said first named means having pro- 6 vision to enable said member to be rotatably adjusted about its axis.

15. A device for projecting a ball or like object, comprising means including an axial member providing an open-ended chamber to receive at least one of said objects, a ring structure partially obstructing the open end of the chamber, against which structure an object engages and is axially restrained, and means to force said object through said ring structure against said restraint, said structure comprising a resilient ring and being axially engaged adjacent its inner periphery by the object to exert different degrees of restraining action on the latter at different zones thereof, thus to occasion a nongravitational curvature of the trajectory of the object as forced through said ring structure, and a support for said first named means having provision to enable said membar to be rotatably adjusted about its axis.

16. A device for projecting a ball or like object, comprising means including an axial member providing an open-ended chamber to receive at least one of said objects, a ring structure partially obstructing the open end of the chamber, against which structure an object engages and is axially restrained, and means to force said object through said ring structure against said restraint, said structure comprising a resilient ring and being axially engaged adjacent its inner periphery by the object to exert different-degrees of restraining action on the latter at different zones thereof, thus to occasion a non-gravitational curvature of the trajectory of the object as forced through said ring structure, and a support for said first named means having provision to enable said member to be rotatably adjusted about its axis and in at least one of the horizontal and vertical senses.

17. A device for projecting a hall or like object, comprising means including an axial member providing an open-ended chamber to receive at least one of said objects, a ring structure partially obstructing the open end of the chamber, against which structure an object engages and is axially restrained, and means to force said object through said ring structure against said restraint, said structure comprising a resilient ring and being axially engaged adjacent its inner periphery by the object to exert different degrees of restraining action on the latter at different zones thereof, thus to occasion a non-gravitational curvature of the trajectory of the object as forced through said ring structure, said ring structure including a flexible element applied to said ring and frictionally engaged by the object as the latter is forced through the structure to vary the restraining action of the latter.

18. The improvement in accordance with claim 1, in which said ring has a flexible friction modifying element applied thereto and extending radially sufficiently to be frictionally engaged by a portion only of the object in passing through the ring, thereby to render one portion of the ring less obstructive than another portion, as described.

19. A device in accordance with claim 7, in which said ring has a flexible friction modifying element applied thereto and extending radially sufliciently to be frictionally engaged by a portion only of the object in passing through the ring, thereby to render one portion of the ring less obstructive than another portion, as described.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

